obtained by the i team show nelson service performed a third of the tow's in the bay area. somehow, they got the business 84% of the time. i called up this week. >> i need to talk to you. >> out, out. >> the police department confirms and have launched a criminal investigation into why he gave kickbacks to ricky rodriguez. >> have you given him money? did you give money to ricky? >> you're on private property. >> i'm leaving. i'm going out. >> i want to make sure i'm giving you a fair chance. have you ever paid bribes? >> no answer. and sources tell me they have been spotted dining together and the tow company owner always picked up the tab.

ricky rodriguez retired from sfpd after 32 years. he served on the captain's staff at bay view station. >> how seriously do you take something like that? >> i don't think anyone minced my comments. there is no place for a dishonest cop. >> on the return is the company that holds a contract with san francisco. when an officer needs a tow auto return dispatches trucks from several companies. the one that is closest happens to be job. when rodriguez said nelson towing was already on the scene. >> i need to talk to you. he won't talk to me three weeks

ago and did not return my calls for comment. >> allegations are true. this is a police officer taking a kickback in exchange for an action under color of being a police officer. that is bribery. >> he's under investigation for taking this car from the bay view station in 2011 and keeping it as a personal vehicle. >> this story began with a tip from inside of the police department. if you have something i should look into call me or sent me a message.

>> san francisco police have caught on a surveillance camera. you can see survivors walking by around 9:15 wednesday night. he pulled out a pipe and goes after a homeless man. >> it's hard to believe but the suspect was arrested at the scene of the crime. a police officer was able to take him into custody. >> caught on camera, police have arrested arthur lee jones of fairfield, saying he's the man in this video seen knocking a homeless man unconscious with a pipe. >> we're able to take him into

custody. and he's being charged for attempted murder and aggravated assault. >> it happened outside of the gangway bar. it was the surveillance cameras that recorded this attack. >> that is good. cameras work. i'm sure they've helped. >> there are witnesses, too. >> i was in shock. and sort of pulled it together. most people say he's a nice guy that doesn't start trouble. everyone is relieved his alleged attacker was been arrested. >> what this individual did was heinous. we don't want a person like that on the streets. if he did it to our victim, he's going to do it to another victim. >> police have not yet determined a motive or if the two men had a previous

encounter. >> police are investigating a dog attack. a german sheperd attacked a 4-year-old or 5-year-old boy. police say the dog bit the child in the upper torso. no word on seriously or if it was their own dog. >> thieves made off with an atm today after using a truck to rip the machine free. one man distracts the clerk and another hooks up a chain to the atm. >> looks like it's going to be a damp easter with much-needed rain on the way. >> certainly spencer christian joins us now.

>> here is live doppler 7 hd. sunny skies right now. over the weekend we'll see increasing clouds. no rain yet. sunday morning this wave starts to spring through. a line of showers reaching north to south, and moving west to east. later in the day. we'll see showers tapering off. partial clearing behind showers and those showers here will translate into snow in the sierra. >> we'll take every drop you've got we all want to save water, santa cruz took drastic measures.

residents were successful exceeding their goal of 20% offenders have had the option of attending a class or just pay up. the state now grapples with the order to cut back by 25% we'll see how many people do the right thing. >> governor brown will be talking about the drought on this week with george stephanopoulos. >> the parents of audrey pott settled their lawsuit against two teens who sexual assaulted their daughter at a party. she later killed herself. she committed suicide after taking -- after pictures taken after the assault were shared among students. the two teenagers agreed to pay $950,000 to her parents.

the pair apologized, agreed to appear in a documentary and give ten public presentations about their actions. >> i think it sends a message effectively. talking about making rounds at schools, talking about what they did. trying to educate about what happened. and to prevent it from happening again. i can't imagine a better way to send a message. >> her family settled with the family of a third boy involved for $600,000. >> police chief says he'll ask the police commission to terminate seven officers for sending, or responding to racist text messages he'll ask them to look into actions of six other officers as well. wayne? >> good evening

larry. the public defender calls it a step in the right direction. and >> in the hall of justice, it's the scandal that embarrassed a police department and pull a chief out of the office to take action. >> we have to root it out, to address it. >> that is greg suhr talking termination for 14 officers and investigations for six others for the well documented texts of 2011 and 2012. >> i have suspended them. they have been referred to the commission. >> prosecutors released him as

part of a bail hearing for the former officer, convicted of corruption in december. since then a reign of criticism hit the department from practically all sides, including reverend amos brown who said they began with not enough racial sensitivity during police training. >> we're becoming an invisible people of the city. and it was done by public policy >> the president of the union says this should not reflect on the department. >> there is individual cases that need to be handled individually. they cannot be handled under one broad brush that every case is the same. >> maybe not in reality but in perception. >> it's not lost on me it's taken a major hit. >> beginning with random investigations of other officers in his department. wayne freedman abc7 news.

>> today chief suhr addressed problems with dna testing at the police crime lab. the chief believes few prosecutions will be in jeopardy and says corrections have been made ask says there could be suspects who have to the been identified and that police will work on the cases in earnest. >> more is ahead for you on the news at 6:00 including a deadly plane crash in the north bay the investigation happening now into what caused it. >> plus a scandalus chapter in santa clara county political history comes to an end the punishment for george shirakowa

ju an aircraft crashed into a field this afternoon. the pilot and sole occupant was found dead. tiffany wilson joins with us the details. >> reporter: the faa says the plane was registered to a petaluma address. witnesses say they saw it heading into the wind when all of a sudden they heard a pop then, it crashed into the hillside below. workers in the vineyard are used to seeing small planes overhead. this afternoon, they heard a

noise. >> i can see only the plane that way. pike pop coming down. he ran to check on the pilot. responders confirmed what he knew. >> the body. >> sky 7 flew over the wreckage the pilot and sole occupant died in the crash the wreckage is just about a mile away from petaluma airport. they say he planned to take a pilot's test this week. he remember he remembers the national

transportation safety board sent an investigator to look into the crash. his identity has not yet been released. >> the number of undocumented immigrants trying to get driver's licenses have caught the sacramento bee on board. the dmv hired more staff, opened more offices and has seen triple the number of applicants. >> george shirakowa junior will not serve jail time. >> he walked out of court today a free man to the frustration of the district attorney's office who wanted imto spend a year in

jail on top of the seven months served for other crimes. >> this is a very serious case. and that is why they treated this case seriously. >> he was sentenced to 45 days of service with credit for a day served three years probation, and fines and fees for his role in sending out a deceptive flyer aimed at deceiving vietnamese american flyers painting current city council member corasco as a sympathizer. she would go on to lose her opponent last fall. she said i highly form the supervisor acted alone, but only time will tell if there is courage to come forth, out of the shadows.

>> we have to accept the outcomes. >> we spoke to him as he was leaving the court house. >> is there anything you'd like to say to your constituents. . >> i don't sxeek through the mid mooeda. thank you. >> those days are equal to 360 hours which must be completed by september 25th. >> time to turn our attention to the weather. >> hardly rainy. the first big change is getting cooler tomorrow. the rain is not expected to arrive until sunday morning. here is live doppler 7 hd. sunny skies now. and pleasant conditions after a very mild afternoon. high temperatures in the mid-70s here is a live spot looking over

san francisco. blue skies. it's 60 degrees now in the city. and our biggest city, san jose, 71 right now. 54 in half moon bay. here is a bright western sky. petaluma, 59. 69 in fairfield. 68 degrees in livermore. and turning cooler tomorrow, showers arrive but may not last all day. we'll get steadier rain monday and tuesday. satellite shows the approaching frontal system bringing us unsettled weather. and clouds bring rain early sunday. at 5:00, it will be dry.

clouds increasing in the north bay. then, late overnight saturday night into sunday morning the rain arrives in the north bay and sweeping by 9:00 a.m on sunday to all parts of the -- most parts of the bay area. showers, wet in the day then later in the day, most of the prims east. we'll have showers tapering off giving way to partial clearing into afternoon hours. so light showers with partial clearing. to the sierra three inches of snow around lake tahoe.

so winter like in the bay area. through tuesday, which will be our rainiest day, one quarter to three quarters in the central bay area tonight's lows in the mid to upper 30s in the north bay valleys. tomorrow sunny and cooler. upper 50s on the coast. and here is the accu-weather forecast. showers late monday, rain tuesday, then next week sunnier, drier milder. we'll get some winter weather.

>> coming up a festival for

around here, we're all about fast. that's why xfinity is perfect for me. with millions of wifi hotspots all over the place - including one right here at the shop - now we can stream all things fast and furious. you've done it again, carlos! ♪ with the fastest in-home wifi and millions of hotspots xfinity is perfect for people who love fast. don't miss furious 7 in theaters now. >> scott lovato painted this mural freehand on american legion post 161. he's touring the nation for the

next he hopes ill will draw attention to veterans. >> it's simplest thing in the world, man. it's because -- men and women of the armed forces veterans. >> today is a big religious holiday, start of passover for jews and good friday for christians. >> at st. patrick's church, church goers lit candles and prayed for loved ones.

>> students celebrated a hindu festival of colors. today's celebration raised money for a charity providing free prosthetic limbs organizers raised $1400 last year. stanford will host its celebration this weekend. >> more is head in our next half hour. a judge orders the state of california to pay for an inmate's gender reassignment surgery. >> plus, a sailor is rescued after two months lost at sea. >> and honors making a come back in the

california's prison system would have to pay as much as $100,000 for an inmate's gender reassignment procedure

the inmate is a 51-year-old, a convicted killer. why the huge ruled in favor of norsworthy. >> she is currently transitioning from man to woom. >> in other circumstances she'd have access to the care she needs. >> her doctor had determined that gender affirming surgery was necessary for her for her health, for her well being. >> surgery didn't happen. >> it's never been performed in the california prison system. so it would be the first of its kind in california. >> the judge ruling yesterday ruling yesterday they must provide norsworthy access to sex reassignment surgery as quickly as possible.

the cdcr is reviewing options and today, said the costs of treating a transitioning inmate could range from tens of thousands to $100,000 range. >> everything is more expensive in the prison system. as we provide medical services to our inmates when they're in the community they have to be under 24-hour guarding. >> of the 110,000 inmates in state prisons nearly 400 identified as transgender. >> chelsea manning joined twitter today the company had given media confirmed it's handling the account, posting messages she dictates from home. the twitter account has 20,000

followers. a san francisco supervisor is joining a growing call for the united states government to evacuate americans trapped in yemen. supervisor jane kim urged the u.s. to intervene on behalf of 300 american who's cannot leave the country. among those trapped is a 26-year-old there working with coffee farmers. his brother is upset by the lack of help. the u.s. has three navy ships in the area. >> the u.s. department, their message was they cannot do anything at the moment. their message to him is stay inside, stay safe. >> he tried to leave but was stopped by a militia group. the chinese navy helped evacuate 225 foreigners from yemen. a man stranded on a boat in the ocean for 66 days is safe

with his family. he was rescued last night after a container ship spotted him yesterday afternoon. officials say his boat cap sized about 200 miles east of north carolina. this is at the end of january. he says he ate what little food he had and relied on rain water in order to survive. . >> i was scared i have a bulletproof boat. . >> i couldn't want them to be sad. there is no way i can let this down. >> he was released this morning and is back with his family in jacksonville. >> a tentative contract agreement ending trace disruptions at sea ports including port of oakland is a step closer to reality today. representatives of the union recommend that had rank and file member as prove the deal

the count will be finalized next month. >> the labor department says the economy added 126,000 jobs last month. they had predicted tens of thousands more jobs experts say the winter was to blame. >> tesla reported a record first quarter. the auto maker said it's delivered an increase. they're cute critters and survivors. >> it's been two years since sutro sam caused a sensation on ocean beach. now, it turns out he has

company. >> there are river otter in every bay area county. which is wonderful. >> we're sure the reason they left is one trapping for fur, and two, poor water quality. >> after work to clean up waters a sprinkling of otters began coming back. now there is a study that indicates they're families repopulating the bay area. >> there is evidence of 50 otters. it turns out they're adaptable. and you don't have to be a

scientist to see they have fun. all are river otters. >> one of the things that makes them great is that they use all parts of the water shed from fresh water down to marshes. >> that means if river otter is doing well, that means the water shed is doing well, too. volunteers have collected a thousand samples of skat and the results are expected to explain where the otters came from and how they're related to each other. >> if you want to report a sighting we have a link for you on abc7 news.com the growing number of otters

means they're now getting hit by cars. so keep an eye out for otter on the road near the river. >> just ahead computer giants offering an app that outs other ♪ ♪ whoo! mmm! ♪ ♪ ♪ oh yeah ♪ [ male announcer ] discover your new orleans. start exploring at followyournola.com.

♪ ♪ ee-e-e-oh-mum-oh-weh ♪ ♪ hush my darling... ♪ ♪ don't fear my darling... ♪ ♪ the lion sleeps tonight. ♪ [snoring.] ♪ hush my darling... ♪ [snoring.] ♪ don't fear my darling... ♪ ♪ the lion sleeps tonight. ♪ [snoring.] take the roar out of snore. yet another innovation only at a sleep number store.

privacy concerns are common now, yet most of us down load an app and thefr check out policies do you? >> no. bad idea what is your smart phone up to when you're not looking? or when you are? most are not keeping track. that is not a good idea. >> a couple years back flashlights made big news. users became ware that some favorite apps could be spying on them. >> it can track location. >> it can read your address book. >> this is worse than my friends. >> now an app thinks out other apps. >> people need to understand the

trade off between some real useful things that are free. >> here is an alarm clock app. it is determine the phone number of this phone, and ahows an application to read information. >> we tell users what those have access to so they can decide yeah. this is neat. tells time well. but, i don't want it to know my photos. >> this information is in the disclosure.

>> he keyboard in and get a read out. >> that is to make people wonder. >> the hope is that consumers will start making choices. just because it says it can take information doesn't mean it does. so to see my reports click sections tab then, select 7 on your side. >> why is my alarm clock spying on you? >> one, sometimes they throw a wide net. and another this is how they sell ads they pop up. once they have information what are they doing for it?

>> still to come

(vo) at jennie-o, we heard of a place in iowa where every thursday people ride ten miles for tacos. we thought we'd show up and surprise them with a better kind of taco, made with jennie-o ground turkey, cooked thoroughly to 165. (mom) i'd feed my kids turkey tacos over regular tacos any day. (woman) i think that they're light and they're just fresh tasting. (vo) it's time for a better taco. (kid) the tacos tonight were pretty much perfect. (vo) make the switch. look for jennie-o ground turkey at a store near you.

it was an easter egg hunt with a san francisco twist because who tries to find anything without the help of a smart phone? >> thank you for coming out today. >> a crude of hundreds gathered with smart phones in hand the grand prize, a thousand dollars for two guys with a fund raising campaign. >> we've raised $2.7 million. >> for this light square. and two years later they're coming up with new uses for tile like

this. >> it sends out a signal but look out. for each, it could be 5 or 6 decoys. the hunt turned into a race. >> so close. and the hunt continues. >> i'm looking for a thousand dollar egg. >> it's a bummer. >> the smaller prizes came rolling in. >> 1 2. three. >> this guy was digging in the bushes and started running.

>> 1, 2. three. >> hit the jack spot. >> now? >> yes. >> 200. 300. he said he has no idea how he'll spend the cash. >> it's fun. >> if i get an egg that says haha? >> i'm not laughing. >> not going to be in a good mood. >> no. >> i was going after sunny. >> yes. we've seen the sunny side. and we have a lunar eclipse that starts at 3:16

a.m . so tell me about it i'll be sleeping. mid-70s in sacramento. and here in the bay area a sunny day. highs in the 50s at the coast. first half of the day looks like it might be wet. a storm system continuing through tuesday. and some lingering sprefrngels tuesday morning. >> yes. >> well after winter passed. >> yes. >> thank you spencer.

>> winning has rewards. >> exactly. winner goes the spoils. >> there

excited that i'm here five years, counting this year. i couldn't have a better situation. i mean who i work for. players i have, the staff. i just love it. >> the series continues tonight at at and t park.

the series shifts tomorrow and fans should get to see barry zito take the mound. after last season oakland a's trying to make a come back. roughed up in the last outing. >> we'll see we'll come down here one inning to take a look at that warning. and the final four becomes final two tomorrow, michigan state takes on duke and wisconsin tries to spoil a perfect season. wildcats are trying to finish to become the first team to go unbeaten since indiana won in 1981. kentucky nearly lost but managed to pull out a two-point victory.

>> do you think i have to tell them kentucky is pretty good? they are. our guys are astute enough to figure that out. >> mark jackson saying he thinks the rockets jake harden should be the league mvp. he was surprised by comments but said it didn't hurt his feelings. no one enjoyed more than this little girl. that is a picture of happiness. no doubt through her mvp is. >> tiger woods has announced he will play in the masters next week. this will be the first tournament in two months

he won four times. some golfers tuning up for augusta. this shot with 11 under. one shot back of leader. and this is your abc7 sports report. i love seeing that little girl. >> yes. it's great. >> adorable. >> i'm concerned steph is going to get overtaken by james harden. >> harden had big games scoring 51 points. and so, you know some people will say he had more help on his team than harden has >> right. >> it's going to be interesting. >> yes. >> gm said best player on the best team. simple. >> yes. >> thank you, rick.

>> join us tonight at 9:00 >> confused about parking rules? when to park, where. are they helping? >> i'm going to say no. >> yes. looks tough there. >> that is it for this edition of

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this is "jeopardy!" here are today's contestants -- a marketing content manager from chicago, illinois... a data repair technician from cary, north carolina... and our returning champion -- a volunteer guardian ad litem from manchester, new hampshire... whose 2-day cash winnings total... and now here is the host of "jeopardy!" -- alex trebek! [ applause ] thank you, johnny. thank you, ladies and gentlemen. this has been, so far, a week of big wins for our champions. kerry was kind of forced into wagering a lot in yesterday's final because she had one of the challengers very

close to her and could've surpassed her. but it worked out to her advantage. and today, she faces tom and pat, or pat and tom. welcome. good luck. here we go. and the categories now in play are... you have to identify the work we have decided to extend. next, we deal with... and where are they? of course. kerry, start us. new endings for classic lit for $200. kerry. what is, uh, "last of the mohicans?" that's it. uh, classic lit, $400.